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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. My mare is ________________ in color.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. bay — to keep at bay
  2. rash — a series
  3. track — a song
  4. degree — an amount
  5. fine — high quality
  6. bank — of a river
  7. fine — all right
  8. field — a subject
  9. track — to keep track
  10. rash — hasty
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. track — a path
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. bank — for money
  15. field — farmland
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. field — for sport
  18. degree — from a university
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. bay — a horse colour
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. sharp — clever
  23. degree — temperature
  24. bank — for money

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com